Winner of The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition revealed

Bond of Brothers

January 15, 2019: The Wildlife Photographer of the Year has crowned a winner in its brand new category, the LUMIX People's Choice Award.

The photo, taken by London-based photographer David Lloyd and titled Bond of Brothers, was chosen from a shortlist of 25 images selected by the Natural History Museum of London from thousands submitted for the 2018 competition.

The image will be showcased in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum that is open until June 30, 2019.

"Most people never have the opportunity to witness such animal sentience, and I was honoured to have experienced and captured such a moment."

Click through to see all the shortlisted entries for The Wildlife Photographer of the Year LUMIX People's Choice Award.

2 of 27Attribution: David Lloyd

December 12, 2018: The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is back again, adding a brand-new section to accompany the main competition – the LUMIX People's Choice Award.

Organised by the Natural History Museum of London, the annual contest showcases our planet in its most raw and natural state – from the cutest moments to the deadliest pursuits.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition Is calling on the public to vote for their favourite among the 25 finalists chosen by the competition's organisers. There were more than 45,000 submissions from 95 different countries, and voting is open now until Tuesday, February 5, 2018.

Click through to see the 25 short-listed entries.

3 of 27Attribution: Audren Morel / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Under the Snow

"Unafraid of the snowy blizzard, this squirrel came to visit Audren as he was taking photographs of birds in the small Jura village of Les Fourgs, France. Impressed by the squirrel’s endurance, he made it the subject of the shoot."

4 of 27Attribution: Rob Blanken / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Unique Bill

"The pied avocet has a unique and delicate bill, which it sweeps like a scythe, as it sifts for food in shallow brackish water. This stunning portrait was taken from a hide in the northern province of Friesland in The Netherlands."

5 of 27Attribution: Audun Lie Dahl / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Ice and Water

"The Bråsvellbreen glacier moves southwards from one of the ice caps covering the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway. Where it meets the sea, the glacier wall is so high that only the waterfalls are visible, so Audun used a drone to capture this unique perspective."

6 of 27Attribution: Justin Hofman / LUMIX People's Choice Award

A Polar Bear's Struggle

"Justin’s whole body pained as he watched this starving polar bear at an abandoned hunter's camp, in the Canadian Arctic, slowly heave itself up to standing. With little, and thinning, ice to move around on, the bear is unable to search for food."

7 of 27Attribution: Cristobal Serrano / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Curious Encounter

"Any close encounter with an animal in the vast wilderness of Antarctica happens by chance, so Cristobal was thrilled by this spontaneous meeting with a crabeater seal off of Cuverville Island, Antarctic Peninsula. These curious creatures are protected and, with few predators, thrive."

8 of 27Attribution: Pedro Carrillo / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Shy

"The mesmerizing pattern of a beaded sand anemone beautifully frames a juvenile Clarkii clownfish in Lembeh strait, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Known as a 'nursery' anemone, it is often a temporary home for young clownfish until they find a more suitable host anemone for adulthood."

9 of 27Attribution: David Lloyd / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Resting Mountain Gorilla

"The baby gorilla clung to its mother whilst keeping a curious eye on David. He had been trekking in South Bwindi, Uganda, when he came across the whole family. Following them, they then stopped in a small clearing to relax and groom each other."

10 of 27Attribution: Anna Henly / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Isolated

"Snapped from a helicopter, this isolated tree stands in a cultivated field on the edge of a tropical forest on Kauai, Hawaii. The man-made straight lines of the ploughed furrows are interrupted beautifully by nature’s more unruly wild pattern of tree branches."

11 of 27Attribution: David Lloyd / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Bond of Brothers

"These two adult males, probably brothers, greeted rubbed faces for 30 seconds before settling down,” Lloyd said. “Most people never have the opportunity to witness such animal sentience, and I was honoured to have experienced and captured such a moment."

12 of 27Attribution: Christian Vizl / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Gliding

"With conditions of perfect visibility and beautiful sunlight, Christian took this portrait of a nurse shark gliding through the ocean off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas. Typically these sharks are found near sandy bottoms where they rest, so it’s rare to see them swimming."

13 of 27Attribution: Frederico Veronesi / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Ambush

"On a hot morning at the Chitake Springs, in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, Federico watched as an old lioness descended from the top of the riverbank. She’d been lying in wait to ambush any passing animals visiting a nearby waterhole further along the riverbed."

14 of 27Attribution: David Barrio / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Clam Close-up

"This macro-shot of an iridescent clam was taken in the Southern Red Sea, Marsa Alam, Egypt. These clams spend their lives embedded amongst stony corals, where they nest and grow. It took David some time to approach the clam, fearing it would sense his movements and snap shut!"

15 of 27Attribution: Wim Van Den Heever / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Three Kings

"Wim came across these king penguins on a beach in the Falkland Islands just as the sun was rising. They were caught up in a fascinating mating behaviour – the two males were constantly moving around the female using their flippers to fend the other off."

16 of 27Attribution: Tony Wu / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Sound Asleep

"This adult humpback whale balanced in mid-water, headon and sound asleep was photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga. The faint stream of bubbles, visible at the top, is coming from the whale’s two blowholes and was, in this instance, indicative of an extremely relaxed state."

17 of 27Attribution: Tin Man Lee / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Red, Silver and Black

"Tin was fortunate enough to be told about a fox den in Washington State, North America, which was home to a family of red, black and silver foxes. After days of waiting for good weather he was finally rewarded with this touching moment."

18 of 27Attribution: Suzi Eszterhas / LUMIX People's Choice Award

The Orphaned Beaver

"A one-month-old orphaned North American beaver kit is held by a caretaker at the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center in Arlington, Washington. Luckily it was paired with a female beaver who took on the role of mother and they were later released into the wild."

19 of 27Attribution: Phil Jones / LUMIX People's Choice Award

All That Remains

"A male orca had beached itself about a week before Phil’s visit to Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands. Despite its huge size the shifting sands had almost covered the whole carcass and scavengers, such as this striated caracara, had started to move in."

20 of 27Attribution: Matthew Maran / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Fox Meets Fox

"Matthew has been photographing foxes close to his home in north London for over a year and ever since spotting this street art had dreamt of capturing this image. After countless hours and many failed attempts his persistence paid off."

21 of 27Attribution: Franco Banfi / LUMIX People's Choice Award

Otherworldly

"A school of Munk's devil ray were feeding on plankton at night off the coast of Isla Espíritu Santo in Baja California, Mexico. Franco used the underwater lights from his boat and a long exposure to create this otherworldly image."